Press Archives

Morgan Stanley, KIPP New Jersey and KaBOOM! Team Up to Build Playground in Newark

Designed by Kids, Playground to be Built by 200 Volunteers in One DayThursday, June 18 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.Photo/Interview Opportunities Available

WHAT: More than 200 volunteers from Morgan Stanley (@MorganStanley), KIPP New Jersey (@KIPPNJ), organizers from KaBOOM! (@kaboom) and residents of the Newark community will join forces on Thursday, June 18, to give area kids the play-filled childhood they deserve by building a new playground at Life Academy, a KIPP New Jersey elementary school. To kick-off the project, KIPP New Jersey hosted a special design event in April during which children had the chance to brainstorm, draw and design their dream playground. Elements from the drawings will be incorporated into the final design for the playground.

This event is part of Morgan Stanley’s Healthy Cities Initiative in Newark, a year-long philanthropic program launched in 2014 designed to fuel innovation in coordinating the wellness, nutrition and play resources that can underpin a child’s healthy start to life. Through Healthy Cities, Morgan Stanley is collaborating with national and Newark area non-profit organizations to connect otherwise separate programs and create a linked package of wellness education and screenings, nutritious foods and safe play spaces for children in underserved Newark neighborhoods.

WHO: Hundreds of community volunteers, Morgan Stanley, KIPP New Jersey families and staff

WHY: Morgan Stanley believes that children need a healthy start for a lifelong achievement and is also committed to being a strong, reliable partner to our communities. Along with nutritious foods and wellness, play is a critical building block to early good health.

The new playground will immediately bring more than 875 kids in Newark one step closer to getting the childhood, filled with balanced and active play, they need so they can thrive and serve many more kids over its lifespan. Currently, the young students of KIPP New Jersey lack an immediately accessible and safe outdoor playspace with proper playground equipment. Students currently only have access to a blacktop for outdoor play and recess.

The playground is the 8th built by Morgan Stanley and KaBOOM! and the third in Newark. Through this partnership, more children will have the joyful childhood they deserve. Morgan Stanley supports KaBOOM! in promoting and protecting a child’s right to active play at home, at school and in the community.

About KIPP New Jersey
KIPP New Jersey first opened its door in Newark in 2002 as a single class of 80 fifth graders and has since created a network of schools in Newark and Camden that serves more than 2,800 students in grades K-12. By the year 2020, KIPP New Jersey will have 10 schools in Newark and five schools in Camden, providing needed world-class college preparatory education to more than 4,500 students in Newark and 2,800 in Camden – representing 10% of the children in Newark’s public schools and over 20% of those in Camden. By offering students effective teachers, leaders and administrators, and with a focus on closing the achievement gap, college readiness, and college completion, more than 500 alumni are currently attending or have graduated from college. For more information about KIPP New Jersey, please visit www.kippnj.org.

About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids – particularly those growing up in poverty in America – the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,300 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 8.1 million kids. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy and productive lives. To learn why #playmatters: visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.